“Kubo and the Two Strings” is a movie that’s filled with symbolism and metaphors represented subtlety throughout the entire film.

The plot of the film, directed by Travis Knight, focuses mainly on 11-year-old Kubo (Parkinson), an origami master. After tragedy strikes, Kubo goes on a journey to acquire his late father’s armor, and is joined by Monkey (Theron) and Beetle (McConaughey), in order to defeat the Moon King (Fiennes) and the Sisters (Mara).

The movie centers around family values, grief, and being courageous in the face of danger. Knight displays these themes throughout the movie as Kubo experiences unspeakable hurt, but is still able to be stronger than ever before in order to defeat his enemy.

Before watching the movie, I didn’t understand what the “Two Strings” from the title had to do with the movie itself, and it took a while to understand that the two strings represented the bond he had with his late parents, which gave him the strength to push forward and reach his goal.

 “Kubo and the Two Strings” is a wonderful piece of cinema. The stop-motion film is filled with a sense of family values and uplifting material, and this is one that many parents and older kids alike can enjoy together as a family, just like Kubo did in the movie. 8/5/16